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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Iraq declares Ramadi liberated from Islamic State | Iraq declares Ramadi liberated from Islamic State |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Iraqi city of Ramadi has been "liberated" from so-called Islamic State, the Iraqi military has declared. | The Iraqi city of Ramadi has been "liberated" from so-called Islamic State, the Iraqi military has declared. |
| Spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Rasul said forces had achieved an "epic" victory. TV pictures showed troops raising the Iraqi flag over the government complex. | |
| Some reports indicate there are still pockets of resistance in the city. | Some reports indicate there are still pockets of resistance in the city. |
| Ramadi's recapture would mark a major reversal for the jihadist group. They had seized it in May, in an embarrassing defeat for the army. | Ramadi's recapture would mark a major reversal for the jihadist group. They had seized it in May, in an embarrassing defeat for the army. |
| Iraqi government forces had been fighting to retake it for weeks. | Iraqi government forces had been fighting to retake it for weeks. |
| Did tactical switch help advance? | Did tactical switch help advance? |
| Islamic State conflict | Islamic State conflict |
| Life under IS | Life under IS |
| Viewpoint: How to defeat IS | Viewpoint: How to defeat IS |
| State television showed pictures of soldiers in Ramadi firing their guns in the air and publicly slaughtering a sheep in celebration | |
| Troops had managed to capture the government compound on Sunday, flushing out or killing Islamic State (IS) fighters and suicide bombers who had been holding out in its buildings. | |
| Brig Gen Majid al-Fatlawi of the army's 8th division told AFP that IS fighters had "planted more than 300 explosive devices on the roads and in the buildings of the government complex". | Brig Gen Majid al-Fatlawi of the army's 8th division told AFP that IS fighters had "planted more than 300 explosive devices on the roads and in the buildings of the government complex". |
| Despite the declaration of victory, the head of military operations in Anbar, Gen Ismail al-Mahlawi, said retreating IS militants still controlled parts of the city, the Associated Press news agency reported. | Despite the declaration of victory, the head of military operations in Anbar, Gen Ismail al-Mahlawi, said retreating IS militants still controlled parts of the city, the Associated Press news agency reported. |
| The operation to recapture Ramadi, about 55 miles (90km) west of Baghdad, began in early November. | The operation to recapture Ramadi, about 55 miles (90km) west of Baghdad, began in early November. |
| It was backed by US-led coalition air strikes. But it made slow progress, mainly because the government chose not to use the powerful Shia-dominated paramilitary force that helped it regain the mainly Sunni northern city of Tikrit, to avoid increasing sectarian tensions. | It was backed by US-led coalition air strikes. But it made slow progress, mainly because the government chose not to use the powerful Shia-dominated paramilitary force that helped it regain the mainly Sunni northern city of Tikrit, to avoid increasing sectarian tensions. |
| The US military called the recapture a "proud moment for Iraq". | The US military called the recapture a "proud moment for Iraq". |
| It added that "the coalition will continue to support the government of Iraq as they move forward to make Ramadi safe for civilians to return". | It added that "the coalition will continue to support the government of Iraq as they move forward to make Ramadi safe for civilians to return". |